Mark Stukey, owner of Ray's Canoe Hideaway on the Upper Manatee River in Bradenton, got flooded during Debby when the Lake Manatee Dam released billions of gallons of rainwater. Fifteen of his boats washed away down the river.
Then came Milton, which blew out some windows and knocked over some trees. But a lot survived, including the boathouse, where the walls are lined with yellowed and aging pictures of happy customers.
This week, WUSF is telling the stories of people who are picking up the pieces and getting back to work after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.
Stukey says business has been slow to recover, after so many storms. He bought the place when he was 50, and now he's hoping to retire, and sell the business -- and his home right next door.
"Yeah, and now I'm 70 years old, so that kind of tells you how long we've had it," says Stukey.
"Every time I have customers come in, they walk in this building and they look around, they look to the windows that fold down. And they're like, 'Now this is Old Florida!' I say, 'Yes, it is. You can't find them like this very often.'
"I've gone through numerous floods. I've gone through numerous hurricanes. However, these past ones over this summer of 2024 have definitely been the most intense, as you can see from all the sand that got washed up off the bottom of the river that came with Tropical Storm Debby. And then Helene put a little bit of water here and there. But then Milton, that was pretty intense wind, got trees broken off, got a bathroom over here, needs repair. It's just things that go along with the storm season.
"People might be denying climate change. But I can tell you the truth, there's climate change. All you have to do is live on a river like this, and you're going to see exactly what I'm talking about. The tides get higher, and every year, something's a little bit different.
"The house never floods. Yeah, you know, granted, the little bathroom is going to go underwater, the boathouse office, it's going to go underwater. But it has. It has since the since the '50s, '60s and '70s and they're still standing.
"Even with the high winds and any of the storms have come through, we've never experienced any serious damage in all this time. In fact, even over the past years, all the previous owners, they never had any damage. So there's something really special about this section right here. I don't know what it is, but somebody's watching over it very, very closely. I can tell you that, honestly.
"Somebody would really enjoy having this place. They really would. The people of Manatee County, they know of Ray's Canoe Hideaway, the people that have lived here for all this time.
"I would like the new owners to do the same thing. You don't have to build a bazillion dollar home. Little house up there is just fine. Has a wood burning fireplace to keep us warm in the winter. I'll definitely be starting that thing up tomorrow. And there's always a never ending supply of wood on the river. You don't have to worry about that.
This audio postcard is part of a series on people's experiences returning to work after a series of powerful storms in the 2024 hurricane season.
